By: The Ballad - 2/12/2023
This Is Why is the sixth studio album from American punk-rock band Paramore. It is the most recent release following their 2017 album, After Laughter, and was dropped on February 10, 2023 through Atlantic Records. Preceded by three singles, “This Is Why”, “The News”, and “C’est Comme Ça”, discussions about the record initially began in 2020, with the band confirming in January 2022 that they had begun studio sessions to work on the album. Lead singer Haley Williams commented that the sound of the album was mostly influenced by the English rock band, Bloc Party: “From day one, Bloc Party was the number one reference because there was such an urgency to their sound that was different to the fast punk or the pop-punk or the like, loud wall of sound emo bands that were happening in the early 2000s.”
1. This Is Why
Released on September 28, 2022, “This Is Why” is the title track, and first single to be released off of the album. I see why Paramore has already begun playing it at their live shows, as it’s very groovy and easy to dance to. The live versions I’ve seen have a lot more energy then the studio version and it serves very well as an opener. The whole instrumentation, guitar, bass, drums, etc. just have this really good groove throughout the entire song; we get a nice bridge about two-thirds the way through which brings us down, but then leads smoothly back to the original groove. Much more uptempo and energetic then the majority of the rest of the album; this song is a lot of fun, and definitely a single for good reason.
2. The News
The second single to be released off the album; “The News” was put out on December 8, 2022. This one definitely has a darker and heavier feel; much more rock then dance. The lyrics are obviously a critique of how the news as a whole can be manipulative, in how what we collectively see on a daily basis is almost entirely negative. Even still it’s hard to look away and turn it off. This is probably my personal favorite song on the record; everything about it just a pretty classic Paramore sound, but in a modern way. They definitely still have that genuine, rebellious feel about them.
3. Running Out Of Time
Coming back to the dance side of things, this song isn’t as groovy as “This Is Why”, but I feel it definitely has a better, catchier chorus. The vocal melodies, especially on that chorus are just infectious, and I think they did a really good job at making it as singable as possible. The lyrics in the verses are very smartly written time, and overall I think this song could have easily been a single and would also be a great addition to a live set.
4. C’est Comme Ça
The third and final single single off This Is Why; “C’est Comme Ça” was released on January 12, 2023. The lyrics tackle Williams’s reality of how chaos is and has always been a part of her life, and how the stability that her bandmates and herself are in at this point of their lives is hard to adjust to. It’s kind of the final really danceable song on the album; definitely repetitive and fun, but personally I would have preferred “Running Out Of Time” as the third single. It’s not bad at all, just a little short and repetitive for my taste.
5. Big Man, Little Dignity
I really like the intro to this song; they actually use a variety of wind instruments to establish the key before the drums and guitar comes in, and I think that’s pretty innovative and different for a punk-rock band. In their interview with Time, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro mention how each individual song got it’s own attention and sound, and how they were trying to break out of the mold of their traditional punk-rock sound. I think they definitely achieved that with this song. It’s definitely more chilled out then the start of the album, and provides a nice respite from all the intensity. Simpler drums, less intense vocals and guitar, and just easier to relax to.\
6. You First
We pick it back up a little bit as we get into this next one. It’s definitely a more rock leaning song, as there’s more riffing and straight drums rather then anything swung or grooved. Williams talks about how this song emphasizes the theme of good vs. evil that we see throughout the songwriting on the album. Lines like “Turns out I’m living in a horror film / Where I’m both the killer and the final girl”, bring into question the capacity for both good and evil in everyone, and how some people will see you as a hero, but internally you know how flawed you can be. “You’re somebody’s hero, and they come up to you and tell you about all these things you’ve helped them with, but in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, ‘But I’m an asshole’ about something you did or a mistake you made.”
7. Figure 8
Continuing along the rock train; I think this song is good, but there isn’t too much different or special enough for it to really warrant a super long analysis. I guess it doesn’t really fit the normal Paramore sound, but it does feel like it fits the vibe of this particular album, so in that sense it does work well. The lyrics are good, along the same theme of “Big Man, Little Dignity”; accusing a previous partner of manipulating your feelings and just being generally scummy. In total, it works, it’s fine, not a skip but not my favorite.
8. Liar
The only love song on the album, “Liar” addresses the real-world relationship between Williams and guitarist Taylor York. They bring the tempo back down for this one, keeping the drums very simple and light, and the guitar very reverby and atmospheric. They also have a good amount of effect and doubling on Williams’s vocals. Hayley addresses her initial denial towards her feelings for York in an interview with Apple Music: “When something has ease to it and when something feels healthy and again, like, respectful, it must be wrong. And I fought that feeling and said to myself that ‘that’s just a convenient thing, you’re just trying to go to where maybe your ego likes it’, I just made up anything that I could.”
9. Crave
We keep it pretty floaty as we go into “Crave”, with the clean and airy guitar tone, and the light vocals. It picks up a little bit in the chorus, but other then that, very simple structure, and nothing too crazy in the verses. The lyrics talk about the desire to live in the present moment and how you can miss that experience being too worried about it starting or when it’s gonna end.
10. Thick Skull
The final song, and the very first song that was written for this album, “Thick Skull” seems like a very conclusive and final song for this era of Paramore under Atlantic Records. Williams sings directly to the accusations of critics, and how thick skin (skull) didn’t really do anything to stop the stuff people projected onto her over the years from affecting her. The instrumentation isn’t too heavy or fast, but it also isn’t slow. It feels like it sits just right for a song that is sort of reminiscing about the past 20 years. There’s hurt and attitude, but in a good way that feels cathartic.
Conclusion:
Overall, I think this album is a pretty solid return after such a long break from Paramore. It still has a familiar and very raw feel, but in a polished and mature way. The only gripe I have is I wish the order of songs was different. Front-loading the record with all the singles puts a lot of the energy up at the front, and then it just slowly starts to back off. If they had spread them out, maybe every other song include one of the more uptempo tracks, I think that would have evened out the feel of the album better and I probably would give it a 7.5-8. Still solid overall, and I think it's definitely worth a couple listens through to fully understand each song.
Rating: 7/10
Favorite Song: The News